Warning: Don't count out GISH

After a couple of days to dry out from Saturday's upset of top-seeded Omaha Creighton Prep, it's back to work for the Grand Island baseball team on Tuesday.

The eighth-seeded Islanders (17-13) face fifth-seeded Omaha Westside (25-5) at 10 a.m. at Haymarket Park in a Class A State Tournament winners' bracket semifinal.

Grand Island's game with Creighton Prep was the only game played on Saturday at Sherman Aquacourt.

While the rest of the first-round games were played on Monday, the Islanders got to rest.

But G.I. coach Rick Kissack doesn't feel that the extra day off is a big benefit. The Islanders are taking it one game at a time, and with their postseason success so far, it's hard to argue with that.

"I feel that we'd be happy to play a game right now," said Kissack, looking out at a rain-soaked Sherman Field following the Islanders' win. "This is better than 75 degrees and sunny. Weather is part of the game. You just have to deal with the factors."

Pitcher/shortstop Kash Kalkowski agreed.

"I don't know if it is an advantage," he said of the weather adjusted schedule. "It was nice to get one game in. We know we play at Haymarket (Park) since we got this game in (and won)."

That's one tiny little extra benefit of beating USA Today's No. 18-rated team in the country in the first round. With the addition of Class B this year, only winners' bracket games will be held at the home of the Huskers and Saltdogs.

Grand Island's only previous game there was an instant classic -- a 1-0 second-round loss to Elkhorn in a pitchers' duel last year.

This year's second-round game has the potential to be another great one.

Take an Islander team that got healthy around midseason, a team that tinkered with its lineup until it got all the pieces in place defensively.

Add a strong 1-2 pitching duo of Kalkowski and Eric Schwieger to the best offensive team in the program's six-year history.

You get confident Islanders who in a 13-day span went 3-1 against the top three seeds in the state tournament.

Pit them up against an Omaha Westside team that started out 8-5 and hasn't lost since. The Warriors' top five pitchers all have ERAs under 2.83. Ryan Tomlinson improved to 7-0 in Monday's win over Papillion-LaVista South, while Tim Sockrider is 5-1 with a 1.42 ERA.

The Westside batting order is stocked with hitters in the .300s.

This has the potential to be a good one. And you can bet that Omaha Westside isn't looking past the Islanders after their first-round stunner.

Tri-City's comeback

Welcome back Tri-City Storm. Long time no see.

The organization announced on Monday that the previously announced change to Nebraska Storm and the color change to -- gasp -- purple, red and gold has been nixed.

"The fans have spoken loudly, and we listened," said vice president of operations Kyle Means. "We have some of the most passionate fans in all of sports and their reaction to the proposed changes shows how connected people are to this team."

The initial changes weren't necessary.

The repeal of the changes were. Listening to the fans should build some goodwill for the Tri-City Storm. We'll see if that will result in more fans in the seats.



Dale Miller is a sports writer for The Independent.